Georgia Tech's David Sims (center) celebrates one of the Yellow Jackets' nine touchdowns with teammates Saturday in a record-setting win at North Carolina. / Bob Donnan, US Presswire

by Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

by Robert Klemko, USA TODAY Sports

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- North Carolina running back Giovani Bernard needed proof -- hard evidence confirming what his eyes had watched over the past three hours.

A reporter shared a box score on a sheet of paper. Georgia Tech 68, North Carolina 50

Bernard, the ACC's leading rusher, pointed and scoffed at the numbers: Fifty-one first downs. Three-hundred-eighty rushing yards for the visiting Yellow Jackets. A 44-point third quarter.

And 118 points, the most ever in a game between two ACC teams, topping Clemson's 82-24 win over Wake Forest on Oct. 31, 1981.

Bernard's coach, Larry Fedora, was perhaps even more upset, considering what he called a "really good" week of practice.

"I don't have the answers right now," Fedora said. "If I would have seen that coming, I probably wouldn't have shown up today. I had no idea."

On a highlight-reel day, Georgia Tech coach Paul Johnson struggled to point out any one outstanding play. There was Georgia Tech's 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Jamal Golden, then there was Bernard's 78-yard catch and run for a score. But who can recall one touchdown when it's followed by another near-identical gallop only minutes later?

The third quarter alone included six touchdowns in a 14-minute span.

"I don't know about any one play that sticks out,"Johnson said. "I think anytime we got a stop it was big. I know that."

North Carolina (6-4, 3-3) passed for 350 yards in defeat, but failed to score in the fourth quarter as Tech piled onto its lead. UNC quarterback Bryn Renner reached 350 passing yards for the second week in a row in his second season as starter and first in Fedora's spread offense.

"We never got the feeling that we couldn't stop these guys," said UNC linebacker Kevin Reddick. "It's just that one guy who misses or one guy who messes up. That's all it is."

Georgia Tech quarterback Vad Lee was the main contributor on an infuriating day for both defensive coordinators. He rushed for 112 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries and also passed for a score, only his third this season.

"They're known as a running team," said North Carolina cornerback Tim Scott, "but when they're running, running, running, they're going to give you a couple play action passes. When they did so we were unprepared for it, and it really hurt us."

Even when the offenses weren't clicking, the defenses were upping the ante: Lee was intercepted by Scott early in the fourth quarter for a 34-yard touchdown return. A few minutes later, Georgia Tech's Orwin Smith cruised for a 22-yard touchdown run to set the conference single-game combined scoring record.

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